Sail San Blas Islands (Guna Yala), Panama

Add to My List Check Off

The San Blas Islands is a group of islands just off the Caribbean coast of Eastern Panama. The indigenous Kuna Yala tribe have self-governing authority over the islands. There are about 378 islands in the archipelago which are scattered around in an area of roughly 100 square miles. The local people, the Kuna, are a wonderful example of an how an indigenous people continue to flourish and practice their age-old customs surrounded by the modern world. They are friendly and mostly welcoming to tourists. These natives can be found on islands such as Aguja Island, Guanidup Island, Chichimei, Yandup Island and El Porvenir. Every San Blas Islands trip is unique — sail crystal-clear waters, visit untouched islands, and immerse yourself in the local Guna culture. San Blas is known for its crystal clear waters, it is very good for snorkeling. Many of the tiny islands with beautiful beaches have one member of the Kuna tribe on the island who collects $1 per person for use of the island for sunbathing or swimming. Be sure to bring small change with you and be prepared to be in the middle of nothing. The native peoples wear very colorful traditional clothing and make and sell beaded jewelry andmolas, which are creatively stitched squares and articles of multi-layered cloth that can be very elaborate and take weeks to make. They also incorporate the mola craft into clothing, shirts and other various articles which can be purchased. Wi-Fi is hard to find on the islands. Most of the San Blas islands are covered by +movil and Digicell, whereas coverage by Claro and Movistar is very limited. If you go further South towards Colombia, there is no cell phone coverage any more (and some islands like Caledonia don't even have land lines nor electricity) until eventually some Colombian cell operators start to service the area.

Write a Review

No Ratings Yet

Flag as inappropriate ›